Italy joined Germany in Operation Barbarossa.
But why?
Did Italy have to take part in this operation.
I mean, Italy's military situation was by the time Barbarossa kicked off more than
strained, looking at the North Africa Campaign.
And Italy had no territorial claims to the USSR.
Relations between Italy and the USSR had been very good.
In this video you will learn why Mussolini decided to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with
Adolf Hitler with his crusade to the east.
Why Italy joined Operation Barbarossa.
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During WW1 Italy joined the side of the Entente in 1915 because
of the secret Treaty of London. Italy was promised territorial expansion.
After the war ended Italy was one of the victors.
However the victory felt like a mutilated victory.
Italy had suffered over 600,000 military deaths.
Furthermore Italy's territorial expansion was limited
Italy had to compete with a new state: the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later called Kingdom of Yugoslavia). Italy gained limited territorial expansion.
Before the outbreak of WW2 the Italian military had fought in Ethiopia, Spain and Albania.
In May 1939 the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy was signed.
This Berlin-Rome Axis was a military and political alliance between Italy and Germany.
Later in September 1940 the allience was strengtened as Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripacte
Pact officially forming the Axis Powers.
Italy took part in the invasion of France and occupied a part of a nation after it was
defeated by Germany.
Italy invaded Greece unsuccesfully, but Germany came to its aid invading both Yugoslavia and
Greece successfully.
Italy was now able to expand its territory while it took control of some of the Yugoslav
territories and also occupied a big part of Greece.
But why did Italy take part in Operation Barbarossa?
Italy strived for expansion but had no territorial claims to the USSR.
And contrary to German Nazism were Eastern Europe was seen as an area to conquer, Italian
Fascists didn't have such ambitions.
Although Italy did have ambitions, these more looked like this.
So no claims to Eastern Europe.
It all started in the early morning hours of 22 June 1941.
The German invasion of the USSR?
Yes!
But also Mussolini who was awakened by a telephone call from his foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano
(also his son-in-law).
Hitler had officially informed Italy that his armies had invaded the USSR.
Indeed, before no consultations had taken place between Germany and Italy about this
upcoming invasion.
Mussolini was well aware of Hitler's plans and plegded his support for the German invasion.
He wanted his country to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Germans against the Soviets.
And so by daybreak Italy too was at war with the USSR.
This swiftness shows that Mussolini wasn't surprised by the fact that Hitler had invaded
the USSR.
Since late 1940 Mussolini had been receiving hints that an invasion was upcoming.
He was given a clear picture by his agents as well as politicians from other Axis nations.
By May 1941 Rome knew an invasion was imminent and was also aware of operational plans and
strategic objectives.
“The campaign, as military attaché Efisio Marras reported from Berlin, was expected
to take place between July and September, to last for approximately two and a half months
and to culminate in the occupation of Leningrad, Moscow, the entire Ukraine and the oil fields
of the Caucasus.”
Hitler and Mussolini met on 2 June 1941 at the Brenner Pass.
According to Goebbels Mussolini was given a rough outline of Hitler's plans for a so-called
'final solution of the Russian question' that could only be achieved by military means.
By that time Mussolini was determined not to let Germany conquer the USSR alone.
The Germans had hinted they wanted to invade the USSR without Italy, because of the poor
Italian achievements during the previous Balkan Campaign.
Mussolini already ordered his chief of general staff to prepare three divisions for possible
deployment in the Soviet Union in case of the German-Soviet War.
According to Mussolini Italy hád to take part in the battle against communism.
Hitler on his turn wanted Mussolini to focus on the war in the Mediterranean.
Mussolini ignored these reservations.
Yet, from a military standpoint Hitler's reservations did make sense.
Why did Mussolini decide to sent troops to the USSR while Italy's military situation
was strained and the traditional Italian ambitions were in Africa and the Balkans?
– First, Mussolini had a thirst for glory.
It was this character trait that made him act impulsive without considering the possible
consequences.
– Second, Mussolini's decision had a strong ideological component to it.
The hatred against communism was one of the guiding principles of fascism.
This dispite the fact that Italo-Soviet relations had been fairly good.
Both nations rejected the post-WW1 order in Europe and had signed a non-aggression pact
in 1933.
“The war against the Soviet Union thus realigned the ideological fronts, but it also had direct
repercussions for the dynamics of the tension-filled German-Italian alliance.”
– This brings me to the third point: following the Italian faillures against Greece and in
North Africa the Germans viewed Italy as a lesser power.
With Italy's new front the country could redeem itself.
Also, Mussolini hoped that the war would weaken Germany so that after a victory Italy could
share the spoils and Germany wasn't the only nation to dictate the new terms in Europe.
– Fourth: the war against the USSR could be seen as a variant of the war against Great
Britain.
See, Britain controlled territories in the Middle East and North Africa Italy also aimed
for.
It was anticipated the USSR was defeated quickly and thus an invasion to the British territories
in the Middle East from the Caucasus through Persia would be possible.
– The fifth reason was pure economic and I already hinted at it: the spoils of the
USSR once it was defeated.
Italy lacked much raw materials the USSR had such as coal, petroleum and metal.
According to historian Hans Woller who wrote a biography about Mussolini, Mussolini made
the decision to go to war with the USSR quite alone.
The Italian corps that was sent to the USSR was named: Italian Expeditionary Corps in
Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia, or CSIR).
One year later the Italian Army in Russia (Italian: Armata Italiana in Russia; ARMIR)
was set up.
More content about the Italians on the Eastern Front will be released in the future.
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If you want to learn more about why Hungary joined Hitler's attack on the USSR, click
here.